Zafrullah wants mobile medical team of 100 doctors
He called upon everyone to work together in the national crisis
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder and trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, has expressed willingness to form a mobile medical team with 100 doctors to deliver primary healthcare service to every house.
Speaking at a virtual citizen press conference on "Coronavirus situation and the crisis in public life" on Sunday, he called upon everyone to work together in the national crisis.
Dr Zafrullah said, "Give me 100 doctors. I will go door to door with them, delivering mobile medical services. People will not need to come to hospitals."
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He said this requires not only money but also a large number of volunteers and called on the government to provide necessary assistance, putting aside animosity.
"Now just increasing the number of ICUs will not work. Training needs to be arranged for doctors, nurses, and health workers. Now we need to get enough oxygen. The amount of VAT on oxygen should be reduced for the convenience of the patients," he added.
Stating the death of five people in Saturday's violence in Chattogram's Banshkhali as similar to extrajudicial killing, Dr Zafrullah also called upon the people of all walks of life to speak out against injustice.
He mentioned the need to develop a coronavirus vaccine locally and recommended the government to take the necessary steps.
Thanking the service-providing organisations in the private sector, Dhaka University Professor Asif Nazrul said the government has been able to treat the people irresponsibly as it lacks accountability.
He mentioned that police have been given the responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people.
"But instead of doing so, they are becoming experts in indiscriminate firing day by day," he added.
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of the mass solidarity movement, strongly condemned the attack on workers who took to the streets for wages, and said a list of those killed should be published.
He also called for bringing the criminals to justice through a judicial investigation.
Saki said the salaries of factory workers across the country need to be ensured, and demanded the release of those arrested in the movement against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also called for waiving the tuition fees of students.
In addition to ensuring food for the marginalised and poor people in the lockdown, the leader of the mass solidarity movement called for increasing the number of coronavirus tests and subsidising the treatment by the government.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), said the government had failed to take precautionary measures against coronavirus.
"There is nothing to say about equality in the health system. There is no situation like getting treatment for coronavirus with a solid income.
The bill reaches lakh taka whenever anyone goes to a hospital," she added.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan alleged, "Meanwhile, police have been deployed again to harass the people with lawsuits."
Professor Dilara Chowdhury of the political science department at Jahangirnagar University said the government has become isolated from the people.
"That is why they (govt) no longer need accountability. That is why their steps to deal with the pandemic are very weak. If this situation continues, the pandemic will take a turn for the worse," she said.
The speakers made three demands to the government from the press conference, including taking necessary steps for free coronavirus treatment.
The other demands are providing free food to the poor and unemployed and resignation of the inspector general of police on charges of killing civilians by law enforcers on Independence Day and Mujibnagar Day.
